It has cost taxpayers nearly £200,000 to close a "rat run" in Hambrook and then open it again.

South Gloucestershire highways officials closed Filton Road, between Coldharbour Lane and Old Gloucester Road, to rush hour traffic in 2005.

At the time they said it was because it was being used as a "rat run".

It cost £29,000 to close the road with another £25,000 spent dealing with residents concerns about it.

Campaigners said the closure was a disaster, increasing traffic in Frenchay village and the ring road and more than 300 residents supported a petition calling for the road to be re-opened 24 hours a day.

The road re-opened in July last year on an experimental basis after new safety improvements were introduced on it including a new £135,000 pedestrian-cycleway and a 30mph speed limit.

The re-opening has now been made permanent by the cabinet member for planning and transport, Councillor Brian Allinson. This cost another £10,000.

Many drivers ignored the morning rush hour ban anyway. Traffic monitoring carried out by the council after Filton Road's experimental re-opening showed little difference compared to when the road was actually closed.

The campaign to re-open the road was led by Frenchay councillors Trevor Jones and Bob Pullin and Winterbourne councillors John Godwin and Allan Higgs.

They welcomed the new safety improvements but said the four-year rush hour closure was "a monumental waste of public money".

Councillor Jones (Con, Frenchay and Stoke Park) said: "We welcome the installation of the new shared-use footway-cycleway and speed limit along Filton Road, but if you add up the cost of the original road closure in 2005, the cost of dealing with residents' concerns plus the cost of going through all the legal hurdles needed to re-open the road, the bill to the council tax payer runs into tens of thousands of pounds.

"This is residents' money that could have been spent on other road safety initiatives across the local area."

Fellow Frenchay and Stoke Park Conservative councillor Bob Pullin said: "Four years on, it is quite clear to everyone, particularly local people, that the original decision by the Liberal Democrats to close the road was a big mistake and has turned out to be a monumental waste of public money.

"We would like to thank the people of Frenchay for their tireless support for our campaign, with over 300 residents writing to the Council supporting the re-opening.

"Were it not for their tremendous encouragement, this four year campaign would not have succeeded."